[{"id":211725189271,"handle":"3ds","title":"3Ds","updated_at":"2021-11-29T16:10:56+13:00","body_html":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0450\/3165\/3527\/files\/3Ds_Flying_Nun-3_1024x1024.jpg?v=1598675162\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e3Ds were the biggest ‘third wave’ Flying Nun band, formed by musicians from earlier FN groups. Starting out in Dunedin in 1988, they recorded three albums and several EPs, the best-known being \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/flying-out.myshopify.com\/collections\/the-3ds\/products\/the-3ds-the-venus-trail\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Venus Trail\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (1993). They achieved worldwide critical and commercial success, and toured extensively overseas from 1992-95.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 3Ds\u003c\/b\u003e came into being in Dunedin in mid-1988, after the male members all relocated from Auckland in search of cheap rent, booze and 24 hour-a-day rock’n roll. Their arrival swelled the ranks of many bands, including \u003cb\u003eSnapper\u003c\/b\u003e,\u003cb\u003e Chug\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003ePlagal Grind\u003c\/b\u003e, but they all became best-known as members of the 3Ds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter initially forming as a trio (hence the name) they were joined in early 1989 by David Mitchell. He introduced a third song-writer and singer, as well as the twin-guitar attack which became the defining feature of the group. Mitchell’s intricate and demented artwork also featured memorably on most of their record covers and posters. Once you’ve seen an entire city sodomised by giant rats, you never forget it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith the completion of the alchemical transformation from a loose jamming agglomeration to the 3Ds, and the band immediately began their assault on New Zealand’s then-burgeoning underground rock scene. They stood out from the start in their ability to sway both the critics and a broader audience. The 3Ds were a band with something for everyone - a knock-out combination of over-loaded guitars, horror-show imagery and toothsome vocal harmonies. While the Pixies were often cited as a formative influence, it’s more correct to see them as the bastard offspring of Black Sabbath and Fairport Convention. Their point of difference was the unique combination of Celtic lilt with berserk metal fury.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheir first recordings were delayed by over a year as the band tried twice to secure CreativeNZ funding support, amazingly without success. Their first recordings were a bunch of demos, one of which, \u003ci\u003e‘Meluzina Man’\u003c\/i\u003e became their first release on the 1990 compilation Xpressway Pile-up. The band recorded their Flying Nun debut \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFish Tales\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e in early 1990, starting a long close association with Dunedin’s Fish St Studios. Their second EP (\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSwarthy Songs for Swabs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e) and debut album (\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHellzapoppin’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e) followed over the next two years, the latter spawning the unstoppable single \u003ci\u003eOuter Space\u003c\/i\u003e. After the first record all their sessions were produced by their live engineer of choice, Tex Houston.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first three records saw US release under licence to First Warning, an RCA-affiliate that almost immediately went pants-up, rather negating the crazed wave of critical adulation that greeted their release. The band first toured the US in 1992, followed by an Australian tour with the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLemonheads\u003c\/strong\u003e. They were among the first New Zealand bands to take advantage of the international connections established in the later 1980s to tour and release records in both the US and the UK.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheir second album\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Venus Trail\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(1993) has proved to be their classic. This included their best known singles\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHey Seuss\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand Beautiful Things. It was released in the US by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMerge\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(train-spotters please note, the Merge single of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBeautiful Things\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis an entirely different version, sung by Denise), and also in the UK by Flying Nun, once more to a critical response akin to that given to a free cigarette-scramble in a prison yard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe year 1994 was dominated by a three-month tour to the UK and the US. While in England they recorded a Peel session and were widely lauded by the music press. Their extensive US tour included gigs with the likes of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePavement\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, but proved a gruelling effort. Still, this was pretty heady stuff for a New Zealand band of that era. The following year they recorded the stop-gap \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCaterwauling\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e four song EP and toured Australia as part of the main stage action at the Big Day Out festival. They also scored the NZ supports on the massive Zoo TV tour by U2, typically taking advantage of the opportunity to plunder the headliners’ liquor rider. This led to a handwritten thumbs-up from Bono and the gift of yet further top-shelf liquor in recognition of their contribution at the shows.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eFinally in 1996 the 3Ds managed one more LP, the darkly-morose \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStrange News From The Angels\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. This was well-received but contained no singles to match their previous efforts. The band, feeling that the fun had gone out of the experience, announced their split in early 1997. Coaxed from retirement to perform at the 20th anniversary Merge Fest in 2009, they followed this in early 2010 with a series of shows in New Zealand and a UK appearance at All Tomorrows Parties. Future plans are unclear.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBy Bruce Russell (The Dead C)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ePvmxGA2vqU\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-08-09T18:29:03+12:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"3Ds"}],"published_scope":"global","image":{"created_at":"2020-08-12T21:56:57+12:00","alt":null,"width":1000,"height":1000,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0450\/3165\/3527\/collections\/hero_thumb_a1307.jpg?v=1598675175"}},{"id":244161446039,"handle":"digital-products","title":"Digital Products","updated_at":"2021-11-29T02:00:13+13:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2021-01-14T15:43:38+13:00","sort_order":"price-asc","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Digital"}],"published_scope":"global"},{"id":211579109527,"handle":"flying-nun","title":"Flying Nun + Related","updated_at":"2021-11-30T12:00:57+13:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-08-08T18:17:51+12:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Flying Nun"},{"column":"variant_inventory","relation":"greater_than","condition":"1"}],"published_scope":"global"}]
Released in 1992, Hellzapoppin, was the 3Ds first full length album, and is now available for the first time on 12" LP. Plus, the digital album comes with the bonus track - the band's cover of Brian Eno's'Baby's on Fire', which was orginally released as the B-side to the Outer Space 7" single (FN241, 1992).
Opening with the giddy crunch of Outer Space, with its flat-out fun melody, plenty of crazy guitar effects, it sets the tone for an album that is both thrashing and tuneful but never pointlessly macho. Instead, amongst the crash, bang and occasional hysterics, songs like Ugly Day and Swallow radiate a great, fun vibe. Meanwhile, guest performer Alan Starrett adds a few extra instrumental touches during the course of the record, like viola and kalimba on the clattering Teacher Is Dead. Songs like Leave the Dogs to Play, with its hollow percussion, heavily treated guitars and vocals, show a band getting more comfortable with studio possibilities, while having a blast with them at the same time.
At the time, the editors of Spin magazine picked Hellzapoppin as the "#1 album you didn't hear" in 1992 - and it is easy to hear why.
